


I'll Love You Till the Cows Come Home

by weaselwrites



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Brokeback Mountain References, Cowboy AU, M/M, Slow Burn, im apologizing in advance for how slow this will be, this is really just me fantasizing about my ideal life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-24 13:49:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20359555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weaselwrites/pseuds/weaselwrites
Summary: Alec is the eldest son of the most famous tractor producers in the farm industry. When he meets Magnus Bane, a lonely cowboy, he realizes exactly what he's missing in life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by brokeback mountain and gods own country cuz I'm a slut for cowboy au's
> 
> pls don't fact check my farming knowledge it is very minimal, I'm just here for some fun y'all

Alec shut the door behind him and leaned against it, sliding down to the ground. Putting his head in his hands he exhaled a big sigh that was trapped inside of him. Constantly having to lie about his personal life was taking a toll on him more and more each day and pretty soon he felt like he would just break.

Alec could feel the cracks deep within him like a china set that had been passed down for generations, everyone saw beauty on the outside, figured it could last one more round of family but one day it just shatters. Alec thought that one day someone would tap his shoulder and he would just fall to pieces too intricate to be put back in place, until then he would be barely holding it together. 

Before Alec can dwell too hard on his current life problems he feels someone knock on the door. He composes himself and opens it to find his little sister on the other side. 

"Hey."

"I come baring bad news I'm afraid." Izzy says stepping into Alec's office.

"What's wrong? Sales have been really good and we're in the off season." Alec says closing the door and following Izzy to his desk where she sits. She picks up a pencil and bites on the eraser before responding.

"I overheard mom and dad talking, they want to send you somewhere." Alec takes a second before responding, expecting more information to be given.

"What do you mean? Where? Some kind of conference?"

"No, like to a farm. They think you need to have some actual experience before taking over the company so our clients can respect you more or something." Izzy answers preparing for a complete meltdown from Alec.

"Maybe that's not a terrible idea." Alec responds.

"Really?" she says surprised.

"Yeah I mean, it would be nice to get away for awhile and you know I've been to Max's farm a few times but never really got my hands dirty. Could be fun."

"Okay I did not expect this coming from you big brother."

"I don't know, I feel a little burnt out right now I could use a little break." Alec wasn't ready to reveal everything going on right now, not even to his sister who is basically his best friend.

"It sounded like he was going to bring it up in your next meeting." Izzy says glancing up at the clock, it was 3pm and the end of the week meeting started in just an hour. 

"You better get going then because I have some stuff to prepare before the meeting." Alec walks Izzy to the door. 

"Thanks for letting me know about this." Alec says genuinely.

"Of course, I'm always looking out for you big brother." she says bringing Alec in for a hug.

"I'm pretty sure that's my job as the oldest sibling" Alec responds smiling as Izzy walks off.

Alec sits at his desk and takes out his paperwork. Before beginning he looks at it all spread out before him, pauses, and thinks about how a vacation would be the perfect thing for him right now. Finally he can take the time to mend himself back together.

\-----

Alec loses track of time when his dad walks in half past four. 

"Izzy said you were catching up on some work so I figured I would bring some dinner to your office when you didn't show up to the meeting room." Robert says putting a bag of takeout on Alec's desk.

"Sorry I totally lost track of time" Alec moves some papers out of the way and opens a box of food. 

"Don't be sorry, I'm glad you're so dedicated to your work son." Robert sits down, preparing himself to bring up his proposition to Alec.

Alec takes a few big spoonfuls of food before looking up at his father. He swallows, knowing what is about to be said. 

"So, I thought maybe we could talk about the future. You know I want you to take over the company. Jace is too good a salesman and not great at the paperwork side of things and Max loves his cattle ranch too much to leave it. But I feel maybe, you could use some experience on an actual farm. You know some of our older clients have problems trusting you younger kids and-" Robert says his words slow and starts to drag on, expecting push-back from Alec.

"Okay."

"Sorry?"

"I agree with you. I think it's a good idea for me to get my hands dirty. It would definitely get clients to trust me and for me to understand them better." Alec responds in his best business man voice.

"I'm surprised at how much you've matured while working with the company Alexander, I'm very proud of you."

Alec cringes a little at the use of his full name but takes the compliment anyways.

"So when is Max expecting me?"

"Max? No we wanted to send you somewhere no one really knows us. I have an old buddy in Wyoming who could use some help with his sheep, we're sending you off tomorrow so enjoy dinner and start packing." Robert got up and left Alec to take in what was just said.

Wyoming? Why send him over 1000 miles away just to work on a ranch for a few months. Alec starts to wonder if this would be a good idea after all.

Later that night Alec was packing his bag when Jace came into his room. Sitting on the bed he stares at Jace while he silently folds some shirts, Alec looks up at Jace and faces him with a questioning glance. 

"Are you sure about this?" Jace finally speaks up.

"It's just a few months of dirty work I think I'll be okay."

"Yeah but you're going to a brand new place with people you don't know, what if it goes terrible? It could ruin your reputation, I'm sure we could convince dad to let you go to Max's instead, that way-" Jace had the same habit of rambling like their father. 

"Jace I'll be fine. I have a baseline of farming knowledge and it's an old buddies of dads so they wont be that hard on me I'm sure." Alec tries reassuring him.

Alec knew Jace has the best intentions by looking out for him, even though he feels his sister is his best friend, Jace and him have a special connection. Even though they didn't talk about their feelings much they always understood each other more than anyone else. Alec has never said that he was gay, has never even thought about saying those words out loud, but he knows that deep down Jace knows. 

"Can I at least drive you?" Jace offers.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dallas is over 1000 miles from where I'm going in Wyoming; I'm taking a Greyhound."

"Can I at least take you to the station then?" Jace is basically pleading at this point.

"Sure, if you're gonna be up at 5am." Alec jokes and Jace lightens up a bit. Alec knows exctly how to make his brother feel just a bit better, it was his job as the oldest sibling after all. 

\-----

The bus ride to Wyoming was uneventful, full of empty landscapes through the desert and some forests. The barren landscape never bothered Alec until today, it felt almost like a cruel joke, reminding him of how empty and alone he feels with his life in Dallas. Sure he has his family and the company is a job that he enjoys but there was something missing, something he could never have in this day and age. The 1960's was not a safe place for people like Alec.

Sometimes he heard of groups standing up for themselves in places like San Francisco and New York City but whenever it came across the news his parents were quick to change the station. The events were small blips in the overall history of America with the war plaguing the majority of topics in the news. But with the small victories and other groups standing up for themselves Alec has hope. Unfortunately Texas overall has never had a good rap on equality but it sounded like things could be changing in Austin. 

Before Alec could dream of a safer and gayer world he arrived in Wyoming. He is dropped off at a station that seemingly is in the middle of nowhere but he was promised that the nearest town is just a few miles away. 

Stepping off the bus he went to the closest pay phone. He was exhausted from the 12 hour bus ride but worked up his best business voice as he keyed in the number for the ranch. 

"Bane residence." The voice came off a little gruff sounding, like the man on the other end wasn't very ecstatic about getting a phone call at 7am. It was also younger than Alec expected.

"Sorry uhm, I was given this number to call once I got in. I'm Alec, uh Alec Lightwood." For some reason Alec completely lost the ability to be formal with this stranger, he blamed the traveling. 

"Oh yeah, I wish I knew when you'd be in. It's about a 45 minute drive if you can just hold tight till I get to the station." The man relayed. The voice sounded softer this time, by just explaining himself Alec felt he was able to convince this stranger to let his guard down. Alec shook his head, forgetting that he is talking on a phone.

"Yeah yeah of course that's fine."

"Alright see you then." the man hung up.

Alec put the phone up and found the nearest bench, he felt like an idiot. He was basically the CEO of a company and he couldn't complete one stupid phone call. Leaning back he tries to relax, taking in his surroundings. Trees lined the horizon, the green was different here. It was hard to explain unless you experienced it yourself but the green in the desert felt dead, it was sun bleached and dull and overall just sad looking. Here in Wyoming the green was alive, it felt inviting and was everywhere. Alec took in a deep breathe, enjoying the cleaner air the trees gave off as opposed to the dusty and dry air the desert had to offer.

Mr. Bane showed up quicker than Alec expected. 

"I assume you're Alexander." Alec had started to doze off. He opens his eyes and a man not far off from his age stood before him, the man from the phone call. He wanted to correct the use of his full name but didn't feel the need. Quickly he stood and offered his hand. 

"Mr. Bane?" It came out as more of a question than he wanted it to. The man took his hand firmly but chuckled lightly.

"A little too formal for me, call me Magnus." Magnus. Magnus Bane. It was an interesting name for someone out here in ranching territory where you would expect nothing but rednecks but Alec liked that. 

The two loaded into Magnus' truck, Magnus carrying Alec's bag even after Alec had protested. It wasn't a very talkative ride to the ranch on account of Alec feeling way out of his comfort zone and Magnus being engrossed in the songs playing on his radio. Even though Alec wanted to crawl out of his own skin in most unfamiliar situations such as this there was something about Magnus. Something golden and inviting, he emitted some kind of energy that Alec wanted to grab onto and absorb as much as he could. It wasn't overpowering though, as some business men were authoritarian and demeaning, Magnus felt open and vibrant. Quietly they sat in the truck as they pulled up to a wooden and creaky looking house. It was old and barely looked inhabited but it was Magnus' home so Alec felt like he could trust it. 

Magnus took Alec upstairs to an empty bedroom.

"It's not much, I know but feel free to make yourself at home." He says showing Alec in. 

Even though Magnus said it wasn't much it felt like enough. Alec took in the few art pieces hanging up on the walls; some frames of stitching, others of beautiful landscapes. The sheets on the bed felt like they were picked with care as it matched a theme within the room. He sat down on the bed and gazed up at Magnus, almost in awe of how well decorated it felt even if it was simple.

"Anything I can get you? I was gonna make some breakfast when you called so I'll have some food ready in a few" 

"I'm okay thank you, I'll just unpack and then meet you downstairs." Magnus nods his head and walks off downstairs. Maybe the next few months will be just fine. 

\-----

When Alec joins Magnus in the kitchen he is plating what looks like a scrambled egg disaster. Alec sits down accepting the plate and hoping it doesn't taste how it looks. Magnus sits across from him at the small table and starts to eat, Alec hesitates.

"It's duck."

"Sorry?" Alec looks up.

"The eggs. They're duck eggs, they're more entertaining to keep than chickens in my opinion." Magnus finishes while taking another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"I don't think I've ever had duck eggs before." 

"They're not much different in taste to chicken eggs, they are bigger though. I also threw in some sausage and veggies in the mix, gotta get all the major food groups in and all." 

Alec took his first bite trying not to look as scared as he felt about how it might taste but it was actually pretty good. Alec had never really considered throwing all his breakfast foods into one big mess but it somehow worked really well; he downed the whole thing before Magnus even finished. 

After eating Alec offers to watch the dishes while Magnus stays in his seat and goes over the days chores.

"So first I'll introduce you to the ducks so I can give you the run down of the barn area then we can go check on the ladies."

"The ladies?" 

"Yeah the heifers, you know, the cows." Magnus says as if its obvious. 

"I thought you had sheep. At least that's what my father said." Alec tries not to sound too much like an idiot in front of Magnus.

"Oh, my dad had sheep. He died a few years back and a lot of stuff has changed since then. I was surprised when your dad called but I didn't want to pass up on some extra hands." 

"I'm sorry." Alec said sincerely turning towards Magnus after finishing with the dishes.

"For what?"

"You said your dad passed away"

"Right, we weren't really close and to be honest he really wasn't running this place very well. If I hadn't come in and changed everything it would have gone under."

"Oh, uhm, so how many employees do you have?" Alec didn't really understand how to steer the conversation away from where it was going since Magnus' father seemed like a sore spot.

"It's just me, well sometimes a buddy from in town helps me out but usually just me." Magnus said this happily, he seemed perfectly fine to be working alone on his farm but somehow Alec felt like he was lonely and he could relate to that. Sure Alec was almost always surrounded by his family but he felt lonely almost always, he might as well be stranded on a farm completely by himelf.

"Alright then where do we start boss?" Alec says kind of joking but really not.

"First off you need to lighten up some, come on lets go see the ducks they'll help loosen you up." Magnus says this with a hint of mischief that Alec does not trust.

\-----

Magnus leads Alec to a part of the property near a big red barn and next to it is a big chicken coop, or in this case a duck coop. Magnus starts to whistle and suddenly a hoard of ducks comes out of nowhere and starts to stampede right towards them. Alec runs off and all the ducks follow after him moving way faster than he thought they could go. As he tries to not get completely engulfed by the ducks he can hear Magnus laughing at him which is distracting, causing him to trip and fall. 

Alec covers his face from getting pecked when Magnus comes to his rescue throwing feed away from them that the ducks find more interesting.

"You could've warned me of that" Alec said as Magnus takes his arm to help him up.

"That's no fun" Magnus says with the brightest smile Alec has ever seen, and it was infectious since Alec could feel himself smiling back even after the traumatic duck experience. 

"Alright anyways every morning I come out and check for eggs but I did that before you got up, then I feed the girls and have breakfast then go out and check on the heifers. Do you have any farming experience?" Magnus says walking Alec toward the red barn.

"My brother has a cattle ranch but it's a big operation so it doesn't feel anything like this." Alec says honestly.

"Promise it's not too hard, just don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, it'll be fun." Alec can't help but trust Magnus even if they had just met, for some reason he wasn't feeling worried at all about the next few months. 

When Alec and Magnus come up to the opening of the barn a cat trots up to Alec and starts to rub on his legs.

"Who's this?" Alec says leaning down to pet him. 

"Oh that's Brat" Magnus responds.

Alec raises his head at the ridiculous name and reads the collar around the cats neck.

"It says here it's Chairman Meow." Which wasn't much better than Brat.

"Well yes that's his legal name but he is a brat so it's what I call him, seriously be careful he's very temperamental." Magnus says but the cat rolls over allowing Alec to pet his tummy so this time Alec can't find it in himself to trust Magnus' opinion.

"Hey Alec have you ever ridden a four wheeler?" Magnus shouts from inside the barn and Alec takes this as his cue to leave the barn cat and do some work.

"Eh, once or twice, it's been awhile." 

"Well lucky you only one of the four wheeler's are working anyways so you get to hitch a ride with me c'mon." Magnus is sitting on one of the four wheeler's patting the seat for Alec to join him. The seats aren't really made for two people and Alec starts to feel a little nervous at having to be so close to Magnus. 

Alec climbs up and sits behind Magnus and leans back, holding onto the bars behind him for stability. Magnus looks at Alec questioningly.

"You know you can grab onto me instead of those bars, it would probably be more comfortable I don't mind a little human contact." Magnus tells Alec. Alec almost felt like Magnus was flirting at that last comment but, there is no way. Men don't flirt with other men.

"I'm uh, I'm good thanks." Alec tries not to show how uncomfortable he is but fails.

"Suit yourself, hang on" Magnus starts up the four wheeler and Alec fights down the urge to grab onto Magnus' waist as they pull off.

The two ride down a dirt road until a herd of cows comes into view. Magnus pulls up as close as possible to the fence and all the cows start to run towards him. Alec takes in the spectacle as Magnus starts to hoot and holler at the 'ladies' (as Magnus calls them) until they are crowded right up against the fence.

"Alec, the ladies, ladies, Alec" Magnus says introducing everyone. Alec giggles at how ridiculous this all seems but plays along.

"How do you do ladies." Alec bows.

"Oh, what a gentleman." Magnus seems satisfied.

"Now onto some actual business, follow me" Magnus starts to walk farther up the fence line and Alec follows.

"Lucky for you there isn't much hard work to do today but in the next few days we're going to have to drive the cows up to a different pasture." Magnus explained how to move the cows while walking Alec down the path the cows would take, he stops in front of a field with overgrown grass.

"I promise it isn't too hard but you have to keep your eyes peeled because 50 cows can get out of hand real quick, I'll also get my vet to come out and help that day so it doesn't seem to overwhelming. Sound good?" Alec felt like that was a lot of information but nodded his head quickly.

"So what did you have planned for today?" Alec asked as they start walking back to the four wheeler.

"We need to go into town and get a few supplies and I'm thinking something fun for tonight" That mischievous hint in his voice was back. This time though Alec felt excited about Magnus' plans.

\-----

Back in Magnus' truck this time Alec couldn't stand the quiet, he had an irresistible itch to find out everything about Magnus. 

"So who decorated the house?" Alec blurts out, he feels stupid for a second but Magnus smiles at the question.

"I did, why do you like it?"

"Yeah it's really simple, but like in the best way, it feels perfect."

"Thanks, I feel like it doesn't really get appreciated often." Alec hints a sad tone in Magnus' voice.

"Do you not have people over often?" Alec is watching Magnus, not wanting to know the truth if Magnus is as lonely as Alec.

"I have friends over every now and then but most people have families out here and my farm is just me yah know, not much reason to get out and leave home often unless its for supplies like today." 

Alec was trying to pick up on any sadness in Magnus' voice but all he could tell was indifference, it didn't seem that Magnus cared about his life alone on his farm but Alec could tell deep down that maybe Magnus was missing the same thing that he was. 

Alec didn't have anything to add after that and they pull up to the hardware store in silence. 

"I just want to grab a couple fence posts, were gonna have to go up and do some repairs before moving the ladies." Magnus leads Alec down some aisles and starts to pile wood into Alecs arms. Walking up to the counter the cashier recognized Magnus.

"Magnus! I haven't seen you in awhile dear, how are you?" She greets while ringing them up. 

"I'm doing great darling how are you?" 

"Oh you know, same old same old. Who's this?" She asks referring to Alec.

"Oh you know just my man servant" He says with a wink. Once all the wood is out of his arms Alec puts his hand out,

"My names Alec, nice to meet you." 

"Oh, what a gentleman." She takes Alec's hand and he blushes a little, he is used to formal greeting but here everyone is much more laid back.

"Alec is helping me out with the farm this winter." Magnus actually answers.

"How nice of you, you two have a great rest of you day." She says after Magnus pays for the supplies. Alec is carrying the wood again when they walk back out to the truck. 

"Is this town really that small that everyone knows everyone?" Alec asks and Magnus chuckles.

"Yeah I guess so, don't really run into very many friends wandering around Dallas I assume?" Magnus responds. Alec sits down in the passenger seat and thinks. 

"Honestly? I don't go out much around Dallas anyways." He says buckling up.

The next stop was at a grocery store, when Alec starts to unbuckle Magnus stops him.

"You can stay in the car I'll be quick." Magnus says rushing into the store before Alec can even react. 

When Magnus gets back into the drivers seat he has no bags to prove that he had even walked into the store at all and Alec gives him a questioning look.

"The stuff is in the back, it's a surprise." Magnus answered picking up on Alec's question without it even being said.

\-----

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful with Alec wandering around the house and realizing how much time he actually spends working. Now that he was away with no responsibilities he couldn't even think of a single hobby he took part in. He stopped to look at one of the cross stitching pieces on the wall, it had the quote "till the cows come home" with a little cow stitched into the bottom. Carefully Alec brought his hand up to touch the little cow, it was so intricate he wondered how long it must've taken to finish. Had Magnus made this? The image of Magnus sitting on his porch stitching away started to make its way into his mind. Before he accidentally imagined himself there, Magnus teaching him how to stitch, Magnus came around the corner.

"Hey! There you are, what are you doing?" Magnus follows Alecs gaze.

"Did you make this?" Alec asks.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites aside from the one I did of Chairman." He answers nonchalantly.

"Oh so his name is Chairman now?" Alec teases, Magnus just rolls his eyes.

"C'mon I have dinner ready." Magnus starts walking away, expecting Alec to follow him, which he does. 

Alec figured they would stop at the kitchen for dinner but Magnus keeps walking right outside into the front yard, Alec is about to ask questions when he notices a bonfire out front with two very sad looking chairs right next to it and a small buffet of hot dogs and s'mores.

"I figure since it's your first night we could have some fun with dinner, have you ever even had a s'more?" Magnus asks setting up a skewered hotdog for Alec.

"No I don't think I have actually." Alec answers honestly.

After eating a few hot dogs and nearly a whole bag of marshmallows between the two, Alec and Magnus sat in silence watching the fire die down.

"So tell me about yourself." Magnus finally spoke up.

"What do you want to know?" Alec sat up a little.

"Anything; hobbies, favorite book, love interests." Alec decided to ignore that last one.

"I don't know I guess I don't have much time for many hobbies with the company but my sister always tries to get us to play board games when we have the time."

"Who's us?" Magnus had started poking the last embers of the fire with a stick.

"Me, my sister and my brother. We're all really close it's nice but it reminds me how I don't really get out much since they're my best friends." Alec confesses.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with that."

"Yeah I guess not, what about you? Any other hobbies other than cross stitching?" Magnus looks at Alec and smiles at that comment.

"Not really, I'm mostly preoccupied by the farm. Keeping track of all the animals takes up a lot of time and I've been looking into adding a few more."

"What kind of animals were you thinking?"

"Stick around a little while and you might find out." Magnus winks and then stands up and stretches.

"I don't know about you but I'm ready for bed, if you would spray the fire down with the hose before going up that would be appreciated. Good night Alexander." Magnus walks away into the house, leaving Alec alone next to the pile of glowing ash.

\-----

The next day Alec woke up to the familiar smell of the eggs from the previous morning, downstairs he expects to find Magnus cooking away but instead finds a plate of food with a note that reads "already out with the ducks, join me when you're done with breakfast :)" so Alec eats his food and goes out to the barn to join Magnus.

"Good morning sunshine!" Magnus greets when Alec walks up to him.

"You could've woken me up, I'm here to work not sleep in." 

"Oh it's still early we have plenty of work to do today. I already loaded up the trailer for the four wheeler we just need to ride it up and check the fence posts." Magnus continued to feed the ducks as Alec stood there waiting for more instruction. 

He took in the site of Magnus, yesterday he was more casual in some jeans and a tucked in button up, but today he was definitely dressed more for a day of farm work. Magnus wore a dirty looking white t-shirt tucked into frayed jeans and a dark cowboy hat on his head, even though it was a practical outfit Alec couldn't help but think how Magnus looked like more of a model in one of his companies photo-shoots than an actual farmer. 

"I hope you don't mind those clothes getting dirty" Magnus says to Alec seeming to read his thoughts. Alec was basically wearing the same outfit as Alec minus the hat and much cleaner. 

"Oh yeah of course, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty." Alec chimes up.

"Good, we better get going then." Magnus starts for the four wheeler packed up with fencing materials.

Alec gets on after Magnus grabbing onto the bars behind him like yesterday, he definitely felt more comfortable with Magnus today but still had an issue with physical touch. 

After arriving at the fence line of the overgrown pasture Magnus quickly gave a run down of what needed to be done; make sure there is a fence post every five feet of the perimeter then they could start laying the electric rope. A couple hours past and they finished lining the fence and Magnus brought a giant spool of electric rope to Alec.

"Hook this on the bottom half and walk clockwise the perimeter, I'll do the top counter clockwise and then we'll be all set up." Magnus walked off in his direction and Alec went the opposite as he was instructed. 

Magnus managed to beat Alec to the start and started clapping when Alec reached him. 

"How does it feel to get some hard labor done?" Magnus asks.

"Sweaty" Alec answers smiling wide. 

"The fence is all set up for tomorrow, we can turn on the electric after the cows are in, now I believe it is time for lunch!" Magnus said clapping Alec on the back and hopping on the four wheeler.

On the ride back to the house Alec felt pretty proud of himself, it had been a really long time since he broke a sweat while working and it felt very rewarding to see something come together that he helped to build. 

Magnus and Alec made sandwiches and sat on the front porch enjoying the weather.

"I think I just have a few things to do with the ducks if you wanna hang back and relax for the rest of today." Magnus informs Alec.

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, you did great today and I saw you wandering around yesterday, you're more than welcome to borrow one of my books to fill the time." Magnus offers.

"Sorry I didn't mean to snoop, and thanks" Alec felt a little ashamed at being caught for looking around. 

"No worries I know it can be a little boring out here but I kind of like the seclusion." Magnus says fondly.

"You never get lonely? I just feel like I would want someone to share it with." Alec says, trying not to offend Magnus.

"I have friends over sometimes, I guess I don't think about someone by my side- at least I try not to." Magnus confesses.

Alec doesn't respond and Magnus gets up and goes down to the ducks like he said he was going to. Alec decides to sit and watch Magnus for awhile. He thinks about what Magnus just told him about trying not to think about how he is alone on the farm all the time. Alec can tell that Magnus genuinely does enjoy his work and time with the animals but maybe he is missing that special someone to share it with. Alec tries not to think too hard about the type of girl Magnus was probably into and instead goes inside to find a book to read. 

\-----

"Alec? Hey Alec wake up" Alec felt himself being jostled and slowly opens his eyes. 

"Magnus?" Alec says groggily. 

"I must've worked you too hard you fell asleep reading." Alec looked down realizing Magnus was right. He had fallen asleep reading "The Picture of Dorian Grey" which was still open on his chest.

"I'm sorry, whats up? What time is it?" Alec asks rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"You really need to stop saying sorry all the time and it's nearly 7pm I was just cooking dinner." Magnus answers.

"Oh is it ready?" 

"No I actually need you to run next door I'm completely out of salt." Magnus says while smiling pleadingly.

"Yeah sure but how far is your closest neighbor?" Alec asks getting up. 

"Oh less than a mile, not even worth taking the four wheeler. Let her know I sent you and that she needs to come over soon for supper." Magnus says leading Alec outside and sending him off. 

Alec was still waking up when he walks outside and feels the cool air hit him. It was nearing the end of fall and Alec wasn't entirely prepared for the change of season but it did wonders at helping him wake up. 

He saw the house he was looking for and kicked himself for not asking Magnus what the name of his neighbor was, or maybe he did say and Alec was just too tired to remember. He walked the steps and knocked on the door. An older lady answered. 

"Hello, what can I do for you?" She says in the most friendly voice Alec has ever heard. 

"Hi, I'm Alec. Magnus sent me over he said he was out of salt." Alec felt stupid asking for salt from a complete stranger.

"Magnus! What an amazing man, greatest landlord I've ever had for sure! Come in, come in." Alec was taken back by this lady calling Magnus her landlord but followed her inside nonetheless.

"I'm Peggy by the way, how did you say you know Magnus?" She asks while looking for the salt in her kitchen.

"I'm a friend, just helping him out on the farm for the season." Alec answers feeling a bit awkward. Were Magnus and him friends? They had only know each other for barely 24 hours but I suppose when you spend that entire time with someone you can get close pretty fast.

"Oh, how nice! Magnus is always on his own for the harsher months I'm glad he has a friend like you to help him out." Peggy smiles handing him the salt and Alec chuckles nervously. 

"You tell Magnus I say hi, alright?" Peggy says showing Alec back out the door.

"Of course and he says you should come over for supper soon." Alec says quickly. 

"Oh I would love too, I'll see you around then." Peggy says and Alec starts back to Magnus' house. 

How odd, Alec thought, this was the second person to seem so pleased about Magnus' existence and yet Magnus seemed like a loner out here. Maybe Alec was missing something, did Magnus tend to shut people out? Maybe he had some character flaw that made people stay away? Alec would figure out at some point he was sure since he would be spending the next few months right by his side. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is in magnus' POV and is pretty angsty so strap in
> 
> just a warning this one has mild homophobia
> 
> sorry for how long this took to update whoops

Magnus wakes up at his regular time around 6 am and starts a pot of coffee. It was odd to make a whole pot suddenly since he was so used to just making a single cup for himself but it was nice to feel the presence of someone else in the house. Truthfully Magnus was starting to become quite lonely on the farm and was considering getting a dog even though he wasn't much of a dog person. 

Taking his cup of coffee with him, Magnus walks out to the ducks to let them out for the day. After throwing them some feed he sits on the porch enjoying the sight of the world slowly waking up around him. 

Soon Alec walks out onto the porch with messy hair and looking not quite awake.

"Good morning Alexander." Magnus greets.

"Morning, how early do you get up every day?" Alec asks.

"Oh it really depends but no later than 7" Magnus answers sipping on his still too hot coffee.

"By the way there is more coffee in the kitchen if you want some." Magnus offers and Alec nods his head, going back inside to grab himself some much needed caffeine. 

Magnus tries not to show his nerves when Alec returns to join him on the porch. Today they would be moving the cows across pastures and his herd was the biggest it has ever been. Sure Magnus had been doing this for awhile but Alec was inexperienced and Magnus would hate to have something go wrong, luckily Catarina would come over to help around lunch. 

"So what's on the agenda today?" Alec asks

"Just moving the cows over, not until after lunch though, until then we can relax. Or if you want we could start working on the other four wheeler so you don't have to ride with me all the time." Magnus offers.

"That's not necessary I don't mind riding with you." Alec says nonchalantly. Magnus was glad at Alec's answer, honestly he was hoping one day Alec would get comfortable enough to actually grab onto Magnus when riding instead of the bars of the vehicle.

"Well Catarina is coming over around ten, we can eat lunch then move the ladies over. I think I'll go check on Chairman if you want to join?" 

"Yeah, sure. I'm assuming Catarina is your vet?" Alec asks, finishing his coffee faster than Magnus.

"Veterinarian and close friend." Magnus says fondly. 

"Can't wait to meet her then, I'm gonna go up and get ready before we go see Chairman." Alec says leaving Magnus on the porch. 

Magnus was starting to feel quite comfortable around Alec and it felt weird, but not in a bad way. Usually Magnus put up some kind of barrier between himself and strangers in his life, even most people in town who knew him didn't really know him. It was nice to feel comfortable with Alec but at the same time a little terrifying and Magnus didn't know what to do about it, for now he decided to lean into it. 

When Magnus and Alec show up to the barn Chairman is no where to be found. 

"Chairman, Bratty Brat, c'mon out" Magnus calls out walking around the barn while Alec follows making cooing sounds. 

"That's weird I can almost always find him running around somewhere, especially when I have food with me." Magnus says a little worried. 

"I'm sure he's fine Magnus, why don't we go double check the new fence then head back to the house?" Alec suggests starting to walk over to the new pasture. 

\-----

Around 10 am Catarina shows up with her dog, Sheep. Alec and Magnus walk the drive way to greet Catarina but Sheep is ahead of her and jumps right for Alec.

"Woah hi there!" Alec says beaming at the little border collie. Magnus had noticed how well Alec seems to get on with any of the animals and it makes his heart feel something it hasn't felt in awhile.

"Cat! It's been too long." Magnus says holding his arms open for a hug.

"Magnus, why don't you introduce me to your friend?" Catarina says after hugging Magnus.

"Right this is Alexander, he's just helping out through the winter months." Magnus says gesturing to Alec who still has his full attention on the dog, after a second he realizes he is being watched. 

"Sorry, hi, I'm Alec." He says getting up and holding out his hand. Magnus thought it was cute anytime he introduced himself and acted so formal. Catarina took his hand and glanced at Magnus seeming to notice the difference between his introduction of 'Alexander' versus 'Alec'. Alec had never mentioned not liking his full name but maybe Magnus should ask later just to be sure. 

"Hi Alec nice to meet you, have you guys eaten yet?" Catarina asks.

"Of course not we were waiting for you." Magnus says leading everyone inside. 

"I see Sheep has taken a liking to you Alec." Catarina notes.

"Oh yeah? He's pretty cute, wish I had a dog back home but there really isn't time for one." Alec says.

"You could always get a cat." Magnus chimes in. 

"Eh I'm not much of a cat person." Alec confesses.

"Take that back" Magnus teases.

"Don't be so offended, you nicknamed your own cat Brat." Alec retorts.

"That is a fair point" Catarina adds.

"I should not have to take this kind of attack in my own home, I should poison both of your sandwiches." Magnus defends and they all laugh. 

Magnus was feeling great sitting with Alec and Catarina at lunch, it had been awhile since he felt relaxed and alive as he does laughing with a few friends. It felt weird to consider Alec a friend after just a few days but it felt right, they pretty much have spent every minute together and that will force you to get to know someone fast. Magnus tried not to think too much of what the next few months could bring so he could enjoy the moment he was in.

After lunch Magnus drove his truck down to the new pasture to block the road from the cows while Catarina and Alec took the four wheeler with Sheep running along side them.

Magnus gave a safety run down for everyone, mostly for Alec since Catarina had done this plenty of times. Magnus would take lead with the cows while Cat and Alec (and Sheep) made sure no cows ran from the herd; everything should go smoothly. 

Magnus unhooked the fences and started to lead the cows out of the old pasture over to the new one. Alec and Catarina hung back until all of the cows were out. Magnus could see Alec and Catarina talking about something but was too far to hear them, he tried to just focus on moving the cows.

"It's kind of amazing how the cows seem to listen to Magnus." Alec says to Catarina. 

"Yeah they're a lot smarter than you might think, and Magnus is really good at handling them" Catarina answers.

Once all the cows leave the old pasture Cat and Alec start walking behind the herd. Magnus turns and notices all the cows seem to be in line and doing what he wants and he starts to relax when they reach the new pasture. Magnus walks into the new pasture and the cows follow him in without any protest, happy to have fresh grass to munch on. He looks back at Catarina and Alec and Alec smiles with a thumbs up causing Magnus to chuckle and shake his head. It was a simple and ordinary task for Magnus to move the cows but since it was new for Alec he was having a good time. 

Right before all the cows file into the fence Magnus notices that Sheep starts to annoy one of the calves who was trailing behind. Magnus looks to Catarina to get her attention but she doesn't notice in time and the calf bolts back in the direction of the old pasture. 

"Sheep!" Catarina calls out but the dog doesn't listen. 

Magnus doesn't have a way to get out of the fence quickly and has to wait to for the rest of the herd before closing the fence. He looks to Alec and they seem to have a moment of silent communication before Alec runs after the calf. 

Alec calls after Sheep trying to get him to stop chasing after the calf but soon is too out of breathe to keep yelling. Adrenaline fills him as he somehow catches up to the calf and tackles it to the ground. Sheep jumps on Alec trying to get at the calf but Alec has to push him off. 

Catarina catches up to Alec and is able to pull off Sheep, Alec holds the calf in his arms trying his best not to harm it.

Magnus watches the whole scene unfold from his view up in the pasture and runs after Alec as soon as the cows all file in. 

"Oh my god Alec are you okay?" Magnus says once he reaches Alec.

"Yeah I'm fine is the calf okay?" Alec says breathlessly. 

Magnus looks to Catarina for help who finally gets Sheep under control. Catarina takes the calf back to the herd after looking her over. Alec sits on the dirt road taking deep breathes.

"Alec are you sure you're okay? You look really banged up." Magnus says sitting next to Alec, he hovers his hands over Alec's skinned arms, too afraid to reach out and hurt him any further.

Alec looks down at himself with wide eyes seeming to realizing just how bad he looks. Both his arms were scraped up and he has bits of rocks jammed into his palms. His jeans were torn and blood stained his knees, it seemed Alec was able to protect the calf but not himself. 

"Oh shit." Was all Alec says. 

"Just stay here I'm gonna go grab the truck." Magnus runs off and drives back so Alec doesn't have to walk. 

Catarina and Magnus help Alec into the truck and they all head back to the house, Catarina taking the four wheeler.

"Magnus I'm so sorry about Sheep." Catarina says while Alec sits in the truck seeming to finally feel his wounds. 

"It's okay I know how finicky animals can be Cat, why don't you go home I can handle it" Magnus says with a small smile.

Catarina leaves after helping Alec inside on the living room couch. 

Alec winces trying to sit up.

"Will you stop moving? We need to clean up your cuts, I'll be right back." Magnus leaves and comes back with a armful of first aid.

"Jesus did you grab enough stuff?" Alec asks amazed.

"I live in the middle of no where on a farm, I have to have good first aid Alexander." Magnus says taking Alec's hand and going into full nurse mode.

"You know I could probably go take a shower to clean off everything myself." Alec suggests.

"Oh yeah and then pass out in the shower and slip and crack your head open? I don't think so." Magnus says seriously but Alec just rolls his eyes. 

Alec shuts up anyways though and watches Magnus go over every bit of his body to make sure it was clean and wrapped. Alec ended up with his pants off since his jeans were so ripped, usually Magnus would feel weird getting so intimate with someone but it wasn't sexual at all, it was safe and quiet and Magnus wanted to make sure that Alec was as comfortable as he could get him. When he was done he made Alec lay down.

"Are you sure your head feels okay? You don't have a concussion?" Magnus asks feeling Alec's forehead.

"I'm fine Magnus I promise I didn't hit my head on anything." Magnus didn't look satisfied but took the answer anyway.

"Fine I'm gonna go grab you some water then." Magnus went into the kitchen washing himself off as he had some blood on his hands. 

Watching the blood go down the drain seemed to wake Magnus up a bit, he went into nurse mode so quick he didn't feel the weight of the accident so fully, they were lucky it was just a calf that got away from the herd and heaven forbid Magnus had a bull. Trying quick to divert his thoughts Magnus grabbed a glass of water for himself and Alec and went back out to the living room. 

Magnus handed Alec his glass and set down his own before walking to his record player. He decided to play a jazz record to help calm the atmosphere before joining Alec on the couch.

Alec was lying down with his feet propped up so Magnus could sit. 

"You can stretch out your legs if you need to." Magnus says putting a pillow on his lap and patting it. 

"Thanks." Alec said stretching out. He was wearing a blanket over his exposed legs that Magnus insisted he use to stay warm. 

"Gosh it's only three pm" Magnus says glancing at the clock. 

"Is that it?" Alec says, his eyes were closed and he sounded only half awake. 

Magnus took in the sight of Alec, his body was bruised and bloody but his face was untouched somehow. He looked peaceful lying there but Magnus started soon to feel the exhaustion Alec was showing. Magnus leaned back and closed his eyes, drifting off with Alec. 

\-----

Magnus woke to the shrill sounds of his telephone ringing. He gets up quickly trying not to disturb Alec but when he moves his legs Alec grunts a little. 

"Sorry" Magnus whispers and hurries to the phone.

"Hello?" H4 answers trying not to talk too loud.

"Hey Magnus it's Cat, I wanted to check in on how Alec was doing." She sounds worried.

"He's gonna be fine, definitely sore, but we've been sleeping ever since you left. What time is it?" Magnus asks while rubbing some of the sleep out of his eyes.

"It's already 7pm, you guys have really been asleep this whole time?" Catarina asks surprised.

"Yeah I guess the whole ordeal really wore us out. Thanks for checking in Cat, I'm gonna go make sure Alec is still alive and make us dinner." Magnus says trying to glance over at Alec's sleeping figure.

"Yeah, tell Alec feel better. I'll have to have you guys over soon to say sorry." Catarina offers.

"Hey it isn't your fault what happened, and yeah it would be fun to come over for dinner. I'll talk to you soon, bye." Magnus hangs up the phone. 

Magnus walks back over to the couch to make sure that Alec was still breathing, even though his wounds were all superficial he still worried. Magnus shuts off the record player and decides to let Alec rest a little longer while he cooks them some dinner. 

Magnus was finishing up cooking when Alec limps into the kitchen.

"Hey what are you doing up." Magnus rushes to Alec's side.

"Magnus I'm fine." He tries to protest but Magnus sits him at the table. 

"Alec you literally are limping you have to take it easy." Magnus says while fixing them some plates of food. 

"I know I should, but I just got here and now I feel useless." Alec says looking down at his scraped up hands.

Magnus sits down at the table with Alec and hands him a plate of food. 

"Hey I rather you be useless for the next week so you can be back to normal for the next few months than overwork yourself and be completely useless the whole time." Magnus says sincerely. 

"Thanks Magnus" Alec says eating his food. 

They sit in silence while eating, Magnus is still shaken up by the situation and really isn't sure how Alec is feeling. He seems completely fine aside from the physical pain he is exhibiting and he isn't sure if he should bring it up or just ignore it. 

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Magnus speaks up when they're nearly finished eating.

"Yeah, go ahead." 

"Earlier today I introduced you to Cat as Alexander but you introduced yourself as Alec, did you have a preference?" Magnus asks.

"Oh uhm, I guess usually people just call me Alec but I don't mind you calling me Alexander at all." Alec says the last part while moving around the last bit of food with his fork.

Magnus could've sworn he noticed Alec blush a little at the question which he found odd, it was simple enough to ask someone their preference on a nickname. Magnus decided to not think about it and starts to clean up the kitchen.

"I don't know about you but I feel pretty awake after that nap we took." Magnus says after cleaning and Alec chuckles. 

"Yeah I guess it wasn't a great idea to take such a long nap. I kind of want to read more of that book I started the other day though" Alec says and the two of them decide to go back into the living room and read together.

Alec was back to reading "The Picture of Dorian Grey" while Magnus reads some poetry. Magnus felt so at peace in this moment, sitting in silence while reading his favorite poems while Alec sat a few feet away reading one of Maguns' favorite books. Magnus wondered if Alec knew the irony of themes in the book in relation to the intimacy he was feeling towards Alec. Magnus stares far too long at Alec, thinking about too many things because Alec notices.

"What?" Alec says looking up from his book.

"Nothing just- that's my favorite book." Magnus sort of lies.

"Really? I haven't gotten that far yet." Alec says not seeming very impressed by the story.

"The ending is really good just wait." Magnus says and tries to bring his focus back to his book and fails miserably. So Magnus just sits there, staring into his book lost in thought about how different he's been feeling with Alec in the house.

\-----

A few days after the whole cow debacle Alec was finally feeling back to normal. Or at least Magnus noticed that he wasn't limping anymore and let him actually help with the chores now.

Magnus had been letting Alec sleep in since the incident so when he got up this morning he was very surprised to find Alec already out with the ducks. Magnus grabbed a couple mugs of coffee and joined him. 

"Good morning, I'm surprised to see you up already." Magnus said offering the coffee to him, by now Magnus knew that Alec preferred lots of cream and sugar with his coffee.

"Thank you, I'm feeling a lot better today actually, like I can move without every part of my body protesting." Alec says and takes a big gulp of coffee.

Magnus just shakes his head knowing anything he says wont change Alec's mind on working too hard. Instead they decide to take a walk on the property since the fall morning felt like perfect weather. 

"hmm, the air out here is much better than back in Dallas." Alec confesses without really thinking about what he says.

"If that makes any sense" he adds.

"That make sense, I'm sure it's pretty dusty down in the desert." Magnus answers.

"It really is, and way too dry and hot. I like the colder weather up here, it's a nice change." Alec says sincerely, holding his hot coffee close to him.

"You say that now but wait until it starts to snow." Magnus mentions, even now the nights were getting extremely cold, which reminded him how Chairman had still not shown up in the last few days.

"Hey remind me on our way back to look in on the barn, I wanna check to see if Chariman has showed up yet." Magnus says trying not to sounds too worried. 

"Sure." Alec says with a smile, making Magnus feel a little bit better. 

Alec and Magnus walked all the way out to the cows and the walk back to the barn was a quiet one; a comfortable silence. Magnus admired the seemingly awe struck look that Alec always had when they were out in nature, for Magnus this was everyday but Alec didn't seem to get enough of what mother nature had to offer. Apparently Magnus was staring too much because Alec was looking at him now with a big goofy smile.

"What?" Alec asks innocently.

"Nothing it's just, you look so appreciative of everything with nature. It reminds me how I can take for granted living out here." Magnus decides to be truthful. 

"Really? I don't think I could ever take for granted how beautiful everything is out here." Alec blushes a little, having to tear his eyes away from Magnus' to look at all the vibrant greens and blues around him.

Magnus doesn't respond to what Alec says but tries his best to look around at his surroundings the same way Alec is, though he fails when he continues to catch himself staring at Alec more than he means to. 

They arrive at the red barn after about 30 minutes of walking and start calling for Chairman as they did a few days ago. 

"Alec I really am getting worried, it's been dropping to the 40's at night and usually I bring him inside around winter." Magnus shouts for Alec as they have managed to get separated.

"Magnus! Over here!" Magnus hears Alec shout from outside the barn.

Magnus follows Alec's voice and finds him on the outside wall of the barn, next to a giant pile of firewood.

"Look, behind here." Alec whispers gesturing between the little gap between the barn wall and the stack of firewood.

:Magnus leans past Alec and looks in to find Chairman but he, or rather she, is accompanied by a litter of kittens. 

"Oh my god, Brat why didn't you tell me you were pregnant!" Magnus gasps.

"Well I think that solves that mystery." Alec chimes in, beaming at all the tiny baby kittens. 

"Alec we have to go back and get the truck! Look how small they are we can't leave them out here over night they'll freeze to death!" Magnus starts to realize the reality of the situation and isn't really sure what he's going to do. 

"Relax Magnus, I'll stay here and make sure that no one runs off and you go grab the truck. We can make them a nice warm space inside to watch after them." Alec reassures Magnus. 

Magnus had almost started pacing and noticed that Alec had almost reached out for his hand to ground him. They stared at each other for a second, not entirely sure who would make the first move and Magnus takes a step back.

"Yeah okay, I'll be right back." Magnus says heading back for the house, moving faster than he means to. 

\-----

Alec and Magnus manage to get all the kittens and Chairman into the truck without much protest from the new mother. Back in the house Magnus finds an empty box and fills it with towels and blankets to keep it warm and puts it into a safe corner of the living room. 

Magnus takes a step back to admire his work while Alec sits next to the box looking in on the kittens. Seeing Alec's tall usually stoic posture folded up and relaxed made Magnus smile. 

"Oh, I should call Catarina!" Magnus realizes running to the kitchen. 

Quickly he dials her number and waits for her to pick up.

"Hello?" Cat answers.

"Cat! It's Magnus you're not going to believe what happened this morning!" Magnus tells Catarina the whole story starting with Chairman first going missing. She agrees to coming over for lunch to look over the the kittens and make sure they are okay. 

When Catarina gets there Alec insists on making everyone food.

"Magnus go sit with Catarina, I know you've been too scared to really handle the kittens so have Cat show you they're all okay." Alec says and Magnus knows he's right so he doesn't fight it. 

Catarina gives Magnus a look when he joins her by the box of kittens.

"What was that?" Catarina asks.

"What do you mean?" Magnus responds confused.

"He just seemed really concerned, you okay?" 

"I guess he is, I was pretty stressed about losing Chairman and now I have a litter of kittens to look after." Magnus admits.

"They look pretty healthy considering you found them out by the barn. I brought some kitten food that you need to be feeding Chairman and just keep them warm and everything should be fine. With Alec's level head and your need to over-protect you guys should make great dads." Catarina teases. 

"You guys done in there? I have food ready." Alec says coming into the living room and Magnus hopes he didn't hear what Catarina just said. 

\-----

Halloween was creeping up and Magnus was not excited in the least. Alec and Magnus were at the grocery store picking up the usual things and Alec could tell Magnus was scoffing at nearly all the decorations. 

"Not a fan of Halloween I take it?" Alec asks.

"Not a fan of how stupid people get on Halloween." Magnus huffs.

"What do you mean?" 

"It's just that I don't think I've gone through a single Halloween without something bad happening to me. Either someone tries to prank me or I have a run in with a drunk asshole or some kid cries on my doorstep when I tell him I don't have any candy." Magnus says irritated, not wanting to remember any of these times. 

"I'm sorry, I think it's kind of fun to dress up and act a little stupid." Alec says with a goofy grin, looking at the decorations and Magnus almost wants to buy some so he can keep seeing Alec smile like that. 

"Well I need to go buy some food for this week, feel free to ogle at overpriced decorations." Magnus says walking away from Alec but not really wanting to. 

A few minutes later Magnus is done with his shopping and can't find Alec so he decides to go to the checkout line anyways, Magnus goes out to the car figuring that Alec would go out there if he couldn't find him inside. Alec comes out and sits in the truck holding a plastic bag with something that Magnus can't make out. 

"What did you get?" Magnus asks curious.

"It's a surprise." Alec responds with that same goofy smile from before. 

\-----

It's Halloween night and Magnus is not happy about it. Magnus refuses to leave the house, the front porch light will be turned off and they will not be handing out candy, is what he basically orders Alec. 

Alec tries his best to lighten the mood, he surprises Magnus with some horror movies he rented from town and the secret from the grocery store was a mug with reaper on it that said "Creepin' it Real". It might have been the cheasiest thing he's ever seen but it didn't stop him from using it for every beverage since Alec handed it to him. 

That night they sat on the couch watching the first horror movie Alec grabbed which happens to be The Thing. Magnus confesses that he doesn't watch very many movies and Alec was a little offended but just told Magnus he would have to teach him everything he knew, it turns out him and his siblings had a movie night every week. Even though he never explicitly said it Magnus could tell that Alec misses his siblings, as much as he seemed happy to be away from his real job he could tell he enjoyed it out in Dallas. 

Throughout the movie the two of them inched closer and closer together, soon they were almost touching when Magnus thinks he hears something.

"Did you hear that?" Magnus asks

"What? It was probably the movie." Alec says not wanting to interrupt how nice their night is going. Magnus believes Alec for only a second until he hears it again. 

"No, there it is again. I think someone is out front." Magnus gets up and Alec pauses the movie. 

Looking out the window Magnus catches a group of kids throwing eggs at his car and he dashes outside.

"Hey! Get the hell out of here!" He yells chasing them off. The group of kids laugh but run off anyways, tossing the remaining eggs into the driveway. 

Magnus runs up to his truck to make sure no real damage is done and his blood runs cold when he notices whats written onto the back of his truck, clear as day the word "faggot". Even just reading the word leaves a bad taste in his mouth. 

He wants to crumble to the ground right there, he knows people in town whisper about him sometimes, he knew after coming out to his dad so many things went down hill but being so far from downtown he hoped to avoid things like this. To be fair it wasn't the first time something like this has happened but things like this never hurt any less than the first time. Before he can think of what to do next Alec runs out next to him. 

"Hey Magnus are you okay? I saw those kids run off what did they-" Alec stops talking when he notices the word spray painted onto the truck that Magnus hasn't been able to tear his gaze from. 

Magnus doesn't say anything, neither does Alec and Magnus finally is able to move his feet and walk back inside. He doesn't stop at the living room to resume the movie night like nothing happened, he doesn't stop at the kitchen to grab some water and calm down, he walks through the hallway up the stairs and locks himself in his room. He hears Alec call after him but acts like he doesn't because he can't take it right now.

He knew his feelings for Alec were growing and he wanted to be hopeful that the feelings were reciprocated, with each little glance, the smiles Alec seems to always give him, the fucking mug, but that's not his reality. Magnus lives in a time where being himself isn't allowed and instead of happily being with another man he has to bury that part of him deep inside because people are going to hate him just for existing. People will egg his truck and write terrible words on it just because they can't wrap their head around someone being different than them. 

After a few minutes Magnus hears Alec give up on trying to get Magnus to open the door and once he walks away Magnus starts to cry. It's hard and uncontrollable but he just can't keep it in anymore so he finally let's it all out in big crashing waves that make his body hurt. He curls up on his mattress and let's his emotions take over until he drifts off the sleep. 

The next morning Magnus' body aches. He stretches out and feels gross after falling asleep in his normal clothes so goes out to take a shower, hoping he won't run into Alec when he leaves the safety of his room. 

After his shower he prepares himself for any questions Alec is going to throw at him, he's prepared to deny any assumptions even if they are true. Magnus isn't ready for Alec to know that much about him, he's not ready to be that vulnerable, he never will be. 

Magnus pads into the kitchen and finds it empty, his new Halloween mug is full and has a note by it. 

"Started on the chores already, left you some coffee :)" Magnus smiles at the note Alec left him and takes the coffee, it's a little cold but he drinks it anyways. 

Magnus takes a deep breathe and steps outside ready to take in the sight of his truck in the daylight but when he looks at it it's completely clean. He walks all around it but can't find any evidence of what happened last night, before he can question if it was a dream Alec walks up. He looks sweaty and his eyes look tired like he didn't sleep much the night before. 

"Morning sleepy head I thought you always got up before seven." Alec jokes, Magnus doesn't say anything. 

"I uh, I cleaned off the truck for you." Alec says awkwardly, noticing the tension. 

"Thanks." Magnus says it with a lot of feeling, he really does appreciate what Alec did but he can't get a reading on how Alec feels of the situation. Is he sorry for Magnus? Does he agree with those stupid teenage boys? He couldn't tell and he was used to the latter so he decided to stay guarded. 

"I was just about to go make lunch, join me?" Alec says walking up to the house, Magnus follows with out a word. 

Magnus eats in silence, causing Alec to also not speak up the entire time. Magnus notices the glances that Alec throws at him though, like he's waiting or Magnus to make a comment about last night or if he is unsure of making the first move. Magnus won't say anything though, he isn't stupid enough to put his heart out there that quickly he would rather just throw himself into working for the rest of the day. Apparently Alec is not like that though because once they're done eating he speaks up. 

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Alec asks testing the waters.

"Not really" Magnus responds a little too quickly. Alec takes a second to choose the right words. 

"It's really shitty what those kids did. It's not right to use that word." is all he says before walking back outside. 

Magnus stands there for a second. He could tell how disgusted Alec felt by the way he said 'that word' like he knew what it was like to have it thrown at him. It makes Magnus hopeful for a second, about what he's not sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the time frame of this fic is about a week before halloween then i'm gonna end it around valentines day i think. right now things are moving a little slow to start but time is gonna skip more going forward with a main focus on the holidays. i know major points i want to hit throughout but for the most part ya boi is just goin with the flow yah know
> 
> i'm having a lot of fun writing this but i'm also working two jobs and im in school so bare with me
> 
> this is just meant as some fun practice for me since i'm working on being a writer yeehaw

**Author's Note:**

> so uhhh this was a basic first chapter, i wanna try and keep them upwards of 10,000 words i think
> 
> i also might switch between pov's every chapter but don't hold me to that
> 
> tell me what you think though :)))


End file.
